A long time ago (over four years ago!) I wrote a post on the depictions of hirsute Mary Magdalene (available HERE). In the late middle ages artists often depicted Magdalene in the wildness, being lifted up by the angels, while her whole body is covered with hair. Back then I…
Today I would like to tell you about an interesting motif of Hungarian art, however it is about a Saint who also had strong connections with Poland. That saint is St Ladislaus, who is actually almost absent in Polish art, in spite of being a patron saint of several Polish kings. Moreover,…
Saint Christopher is one of the most popular patrons; of course, everybody knows a Chris. Interestingly, it is a purely legendary saint; it even seems that his name derived from his legend. Christóforos means “Christ-bearer”, and that is how St. Christopher was depicted: as a man holding Christ-Child on his arm…
Most of the holy martyrs have been depicted as holding attributes related to their martyrdom. Many of them ended up beheaded, and one of the best known examples would be St. Denis. His attribute is quite peculiar: it is his own head. He is a cephalophore, that is a saint…
In 2016 the Bowes Museum (Barnard Castle, County Durham, UK) acquired an early-Netherlandish painting of St. Luke drawing the Virgin and Child. It is attributed to the workshop of Dirk Bouts, one of the most important Netherlandish painters of the 15th century. It was probably not completed by the Master…